Campus Ministry’s annual Giving Tree program returns this December with more donations than ever, prompting them to set up two trees in Egan Chapel for the first time.
This service project is similar to Angel Tree, run by the Salvation Army and the Prison Fellowship. The Salvation Army’s portion provides children in needy families who wouldn’t otherwise receive gifts with toys and clothes, while Prison Fellowship delivers gifts to children with incarcerated parents, along with a note from their parent and a Gospel message.
The trees have tags hanging from their branches that customers choose from before shopping for gifts for the child or children. Students, faculty and community members can participate by either taking tags off the tree or by visiting Campus Ministry’s Amazon wishlist, located on their website.
The project’s Amazon wishlist component was created during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We made the Amazon wish list so that folks who are away from campus could [still] participate, and that has taken off with our alumni and our parents and our families [in the community],” said Campus Ministry Associate Director Katie Byrnes.
The care that is taken when working on these service projects was evident as she explained that she has the opportunity to open those Amazon packages when they arrive. The Giving Tree collects over 1,000 gifts for the families in need, and Byrnes says, “I think [it’s] really central to our experience as a Jesuit Community because it’s bringing Christmas to folks who might not otherwise have it. The generosity is really extraordinary.” She also claims it’s the biggest Campus Ministry program at the university, with a consistently high turnout from thousands of volunteers.
The prep work for the Giving Tree begins immediately after Thanksgiving, and Campus Ministry works with two local communities, St. Charles Borromeo Parish and St. Mary’s Parish in Bridgeport. The parishes put together a list of children in need during the year, including ages and genders. Campus Ministry takes the information and puts it on tags to hang on the Giving Trees, which are located in the Residence Hall ground floor lounges, the dining hall and the library.
When asked about the Giving Tree and its impact, first-year Caroline Sullivan said, “I think it’s really great. We have an Angel Tree in my church at home, and [by doing this] the university is emphasizing Jesuit values.”
This year, for the first time, most of the requests were not for toys, but for warm clothes and jackets. Byrnes praises the generosity of the volunteers, saying, “What’s been really nice about our Stags is that they’re taking those tags and getting the warm things, but also getting some fun toys that are appropriate for the ages, which I really love, so that there are fun things to open on Christmas morning, too.”
One thing that is unique about the project is that the gifts donated must be unwrapped. Byrnes explains, “Everybody wants to wrap them, but the reason we don’t is because we partner with [Fairfield] Bellarmine that is also doing a drive, but their drive is for gift wrap, so the families will get gifts and gift wrap so that all the presents are wrapped in the same wrapping paper and they don’t look like they’re collected from a bunch of different agencies.”
Fairfield University is an incredibly generous campus, according to Byrnes. She cites a time around Thanksgiving when this idea was particularly prevalent to her, when she was told that a few students had collected $250 worth of gift cards for the workers in the Tully. “It’s not like anyone is doing this for credit. Even students who have things that they’re doing for credit, like Sophomores Give Back, are looking for ways to be involved in particularly meaningful things.”
Additionally, the Tully staff is the biggest supporter of the Giving Tree. Byrnes expanded on this, saying that they request three families on the first day the project is active, and then a few days later, they’ll request more. She attests that it’s “…a way for every single person on campus to be a part of making the holiday special for local families.”
